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The Great Godden

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The Great Godden

By: Meg Rosoff
Narrated by: Andrew Scott
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Bloomsbury presents The Great Godden by Meg Rosoff, read by Andrew Scott.

SHORTLISTED FOR THE COSTA BOOK AWARD 2020
SHORTLISTED FOR THE BOOKS ARE MY BAG READER AWARDS 2021

'Brilliant and impactful' – Pandora Sykes

This is the story of one family, one dreamy summer – the summer when everything changes. In a holiday house by the sea, in a big, messy family, one teenager watches as brothers and sisters, parents and older cousins fill hot days with wine and games and planning a wedding.

Enter the Goddens – irresistible, charming, languidly sexy Kit and surly, silent Hugo. Suddenly there’s a serpent in this paradise – and the consequences will be devastating.

From bestselling, award-winning author Meg Rosoff comes a lyrical and quintessential coming-of-age tale – a summer book that’s as heady, timeless and irresistible as Bonjour Tristesse and I Capture the Castle but as sharp and fresh as Normal People.

Featuring a bonus essay from Meg Rosoff on her experiences of summer, this is THE unmissable book of the summer.
From the author of How I Live Now, one of TIME magazine's 100 Best YA Books of All Time.©2020 Meg Rosoff (P)2020 Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Coming of Age Growing Up & Facts of Life Literature & Fiction
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Critic reviews

This smart and humorous novel is, from the first sentence, rapture to read
A sun-drenched coming-of-age story ... seductive and elegant. The heady nostalgia and sweet ache of first love and lost innocence recall classics such as Bonjour Tristesse
Rosoff brilliantly captures the loss of innocence on the cusp of adulthood in a dreamy, seductive coming-of-age story that echoes classics like I Capture the Castle
Brilliant ... a thoughtful, impactful summer read. It sounds like it’s going to be the quintessential holiday romance but it’s so much more than that
A wonderful, captivating writer
Meg Rosoff has the gift of being able to talk to the reader with a directness that goes like an arrow to the heart
A magical and utterly faultless voice
The perfect read for an afternoon by the sea
An irresistible summer read
I genuinely couldn’t put it down
Sophisticated, seductive and smoothly readable, this is a summer story par excellence, and a coming-of-age tale for all times
A wonderful, escapist coming of age novel
A classic summer, coming-of-age story, wonderfully done… Its hazy nostalgia tempered by a winning self-awareness, The Great Godden is a joyful, generous read
A touching coming-of-age novel that is perfect for summertime
A dreamy, atmospheric tale about love, sibling rivalry and family secrets
This brilliant, witty, very modern novel is the perfect summer coming of-age read... A perfectly-pitched look at adolescent loss of innocence, it balances dark manipulation with sharp humour
Astute and alluring ... totally absorbing. Rosoff perfectly captures the endlessness of summer, and the prickling uneasiness of desire when it's tangled up in hope
Marvellous – a classic, summery, coming-of-age story about the confusion of adolescent lust
Full of lies, lust, manipulation and the agony of being young
Rosoff’s dazzling, timeless novel is a delight
This mesmerising coming-of-age tale will have you hooked
This dreamy novel ... charms and seduces effortlessly. Just like those long, hot, lazy summers of your childhood, by the end of it, you'll want to start all over again *****
All stars
Most relevant
What a stunning book! deliciously narrated by Andrew Scott with just the right blend of languid boredom and intensity for a teen protagonist. All the characters were clear and vivid and I could see them vividly in my minds eye.
Like The Go Between meets We Were Liars via I Capture the Castle - but very much its own thing.
Gorgeous!

Story of a golden summer...with a dark side.

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Brilliant story, captures the long summers of youth perfectly. Blissful narration too - thank you Andrew Scott!

Fab

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Beautiful language, moving story. The way that the author didn’t necessarily explain everything and kept a lot of information hidden made this piece of work very special. Brilliant performance by Andrew Scott, soothing voice and great portrayal of characters. Would listen to this again and again just because of the outstanding quality and dearest Andrew Scott (not biased at all).

Decided to listen because of Andrew Scott

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A listening gem but an oh so slim story - it’s all to do with the atmosphere Scott conjures

Listen and marvel at the narration

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I have always liked Andrew Scott as an actor but his voice, his melancholy is spot on for this book.
it was a great story, atmospheric, very nicely written.
The ending is a bit too perfect for my taste, I sense a drive to tie up all loose ends, round all rough edges, leave nothing up in the air.
Brilliantly read.

excellent read

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